Animal-trap.



No. r174,164. PATENTED Nov. s, 1904.

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ANIMAL TRAP.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 26, 1904.

N0 MODEL.

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UNTTED STATES Patented November 8, 1904.

PATENT OEETEE. A

SAMUEL S. ELDER, OF SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS.

ANIMAL-TRAP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 774,164, dated November8, 1904.

Application filed March 26, 1904.

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL S. ELDER, a citizen of the United States,residing' at Springfield, in the county of Sangamon and State of'Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inAnimal-Traps, of which the following is such a full, clear, and exactdescription as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use my said invention.

My invention relates to traps of that class which employ a cage havingan opening provided with a tilting platform.

The purposes of my invention are to provide a cage of improvedconstruction, said cage having an inlet-opening provided with guards andan outlet-door provided with a securing device; to provide anoscillative door of improved construction; to provide a tilting platformconnected to operate said door, and to provide within the cage guardsand a curtain to prevent exit ofthe animal.

I/Vith these ends in view my invention consists in the novel features ofconstruction and combinations of parts shown in the annexed drawings, towhich reference is hereby made, and hereinafter particularly described,and finally recited in the claims.

Referring' to the drawings, Figure l is a side elevation of the trap.Fig. 2 is a front end elevation. Fig. 3 is a partial vertical section onthe line 8 3 of Fig. l; and Fig. 4 is a top plan, on a reduced scale, ofthe forward portion of the trap. Y

Similar reference charactersdesignate like parts in the several views.

The rectangular cage A is preferably made of meshed-wire fabric; but anyother suitable material may be used. At one end of the cage is aninlet-opening a. On the outside of the cage two stationary verticalguards a are secured, one along each side of the opening a. Inconstructing the cage the guards a are preferably formed by slitting themeshed fabric of the front end of the cage horizontally along the upperand lower edges and vertically along the central line of theinlet-opening and then bending' the two parts thus formed outward untilthey assume a vertical position at right angles to the end of the cageand parallel to Serial No. 200,125. (No model.)

the edges of the tilting platform-one on each side of the platform. Onthe inside of the cage are vertical guards co2, secured on the top andon the front end Vof the cage and extending below the under side of thetilting platform when the innerv end of the platform occupies itshighest position.

` A swinging metallic curtain a3 is suspended from the top of theV cageand extends across the space between the guards a2 and downward belowthe inner end of the tilting platform, so as to close the space betweenthe guards and' prevent the animal from again mounting the platformafter it has, once entered the cage.

A platform B oscillates in suitable supports on the end of the cage andextends through the opening a into the space closed by the curtain a3and the guards a2. A weight B at the outer end of the platform causesthe outer end of the platform B to slightly overbalance its inner end,so that the inner'end of the platform is normally higher than the outerend. Astop b on the under side of the platform engages with the end wallof the cage and prevents excessive downward movement of the outer end ofthe platform.

A transverse shaft D is mounted to oscillate in suitable bearings CZ Aseries of downwardly-curved parallel rods D', having sharpened lowerends CZ', are secured on the shaft D and are connected by a stay (Z2,and the rods D depressed closes the opening a. An upwardlyextending armD2 is secured on the shaft D. A rod D3 connects the arm D2 withv theinner end of the platform B.

At the rear end of the cage is a door A. A rod A2, having at each end ahook ai, hooks into the meshes of the fabric of the top and bottom ofthe cage and keeps the door closed.

Bait-hooks E are suspended from the top of the cage.

In practical use bait is placed on the hooks E. Attracted by the baitthe animal mounts the tilting platform' B and proceeds inward thereonuntil the platform tilts and dumps him into the cage. Simultaneouslywith the tilting of the platform B the arms D descend and close theopening a' behind the animal.

on top of the cage.V

form a door which when l IOO If the animal attempts to back out, thesharpened points of the rod 'D/ will stick him and cause him to moveforward. When the animal is once within the cage, the curtain afl andthe guards ft2 prevent him from again mounting the platform and escapingthrough the opening a. To remove the animal from the cage it is onlynecessary to detach the rod A2, when the door A' maybe opened.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

l. Invan animal-trap, a cage of meshed fabric having an inlet-opening,vertical guards inside of said cage and alongside of said opening, aswinging curtain extending' across the space between said last-namedguards, a platform mounted to oscillate in said opening, and anoscillating shaft connected with said platform and carrying a number ofdownwardlycurved arms adapted to close said opening', as set forth.

2. In an animal-trap, the combination of a rectangular cage of meshedfabric, a door mounted on one end of said cage, and a rod having at eachend a hook engaging in the meshes of the fabric of the cage andretaining the door in its closed position, as set forth.

3. In an animal-trap, the combination of a cage having an inlet-opening,guards, and a swinging curtain; with a downwardly-oscillative doormounted on top of said cage, a tilting platform mounted in saidinlet-opening, means for limiting downward movement of the outer end ofthe tilting platform, and means for connecting the tiltingplatform withthe oscillating door, as set forth.

4t. A cage for animal-traps, having an inletopening and having on eachside of said opening integral guards formed from the material cut andturned outward to produce said opening, as set forth.

ln witness whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name, at Springfield,Illinois, this Qetth day of March, i90-i.

SAMUEL S. ELDER.

lVitnesses:

EMMA SHARP, MARGARET MGDONALD.

